Our Role in tracking the Negotiation Process
The Global Plastics Policy Centre is an independent knowledge broker to support effective plastics policy-making in government and the private sector. On our Global Plastics Treaty page you can follow the negotiation process as we get the insights from INC attendees and plastics experts, and dive deeper into what it takes to form a robust, international instrument to end plastic pollution.
About the Treaty
A landmark resolution was reached at the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) in Nairobi, March 2022, to develop an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution (the ‘global plastics treaty’). The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has begun its journey through two-year negotiations on its goals and objectives to produce the final draft of the treaty.
The journey includes five Intergovernmental Negotiating Committees (INCs) accompanied by regional and stakeholder consultations. The first INC in November 2022 was preceded by a multi stakeholder forum where national delegates, industry representatives, NGOs, campaign groups and scientists met to exchange knowledge and information.
As per the resolution, the Treaty should incorporate measures that:
- Address all types of plastics and additives
- Prevent and reduce plastic pollution throughout the entire life cycle
- Account for human rights and those working in the informal waste sector
By the end of 2024, the world can expect to see how the Treaty will transform the way we resource, produce, use and dispose of plastics. After the INCs and the associated consultations have concluded, the Treaty will be adopted in a diplomatic conference of plenipotentiaries with UNEP’s lead and opened for country signatures.
“A complete transformation to a circular plastics economy is needed to radically reduce or eliminate plastic pollution while supporting necessary use.”
March, Roberts and Fletcher (2022)
Timeline
2022
Ad hoc open-ended working group (OEWG) to prepare for the INC to end plastic pollution
30 May - 1 June 2022
Dakar, Senegal
UNEP Plastic Pollution: Multi-stakeholder forum (INC-1)
26th Nov 2022
Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay
UNEP Plastic Pollution: INC-1
28 Nov – 2 Dec 2022
Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay
30 May - 1 June 2022
Ad hoc open-ended working group (OEWG) to prepare for the INC to end plastic pollution
Dakar, Senegal
View eventThe meeting was held to prepare for the work of the first intergovernmental negotiating committee to end plastic pollution.
Read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s report on this multi-stakeholder forum (click here).
26th Nov 2022
UNEP Plastic Pollution: Multi-stakeholder forum (INC-1)
Punta del Este, Maldonado, Uruguay
View eventInformation and knowledge exchange forum between different sectors of the plastics life cycle to aid the treaty negotiations and ensure its objectives are firmly founded in the latest available science plastics and plastic pollution.
Read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s report on this multi-stakeholder forum (click here).
In the 1st INC, several aspects of the new plastics treaty were discussed, including potential structure and elements of the treaty. Any outputs from the multi-stakeholder forum of 26th Nov 2022 were summarised. Further actions and intersessional work along with further information of the coming INCs will be drafted.
Read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s summary report (click here). On their site you can also find more detailed daily reports for this INC.
2023
UNEP Plastic Pollution: Regional Consultations INC-2
May 28, 2023
Paris, France
UNEP Plastic Pollution: INC-2
29 May - 2nd June 2023
Paris, France
UNEP Plastic Pollution: INC-3
13 November 2023
Kenya
The second INC is preceded by these regional consultations.
INC-1 saw the call for stakeholder and member submissions on the potential elements for the treaty. Along with dozens of other observers with a tight deadline, the team at the Global Plastics Policy Centre put together an information document. These pre-session documents will inform the delegates during INC, and guide the negotiations around the treaty elements at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
Read our submission and our first policy brief of our Global Plastics Treaty Policy Brief series below, and for submissions from many more stakeholders, observers and member states, see Pre-Session Documents at the event website.
See the provisional programme of the INC-2 here.
13 November 2023
UNEP Plastic Pollution: INC-3
Kenya
Exact dates, location and provisional agenda as well as related stakeholder or regional consultations will be updated on this timeline as soon as they are made public.
2024
Sixth Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6)
26 February – 1 March 2024
Nairobi, Kenya
UNEP Plastic Pollution: INC-4
TBC (Early April 2024)
Canada
UNEP Plastic Pollution: INC-5
TBC (October/November 2024)
Republic of Korea
26 February – 1 March 2024
Sixth Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-6)
Nairobi, Kenya
View eventThe theme for UNEA-6 will be “Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution”.
Key updates and agenda items related to the ILBI will be updated on this timeline.
TBC (Early April 2024)
UNEP Plastic Pollution: INC-4
Canada
These dates and locations are provisional. Exact dates, location and provisional agenda as well as related stakeholder or regional consultations will be updated on this timeline as soon as they are made public.
TBC (October/November 2024)
UNEP Plastic Pollution: INC-5
Republic of Korea
These dates and locations are provisional. Exact dates, location and provisional agenda as well as related stakeholder or regional consultations will be updated on this timeline as soon as they are made public.
2025
UNEP Plastic Pollution: Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries
TBC (Mid 2025)
TBC
TBC (Mid 2025)
UNEP Plastic Pollution: Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries
TBC
These dates and locations are provisional. Exact dates, location and provisional agenda as well as related stakeholder or regional consultations will be updated on this timeline as soon as they are made public.